project_mfandomcom-20200223-history
Torchwood Institute
Torchwood is an organisation founded in 1879 by the royal family to protect the British Empire (Great Britain) from extraterrestrial threat. It was originally founded with plans to capture the Doctor, thought to be a large threat thanks to an encounter with Queen Victoria. All of the major existing Torchwood headquarters are now destroyed, though smaller branches are still running, mostly independently. All remains of Torchwood are now allied with UNIT . Organisation 'Background' Torchwood was originally created by Queen Victoria in 1879 when a werewolf threatened and attacked the Queen. The Doctor (in his tenth regeneration) and Rose Tyler helped to save her, but she understood that there were greater threats in the wider universe and established an organisation to help rid the Earth of these threats--the Doctor was put at the top of that list, however, because she had banned him from the Empire. Torchwood was named after the location of this werewolf attack. Other Torchwood branches have been established sense then as the threat of alien life has grown, and the technology to track them has multiplied. Torchwood Cardiff was founded by 1899, and some time shortly after, Torchwood India was also created to have a hub in the British Raj. 'Purpose' The initial purpose of Torchwood was to protect the British Empire from any alien or supernatural threat, particularly in the capture of the Doctor, but also to secure alien technology for Britain. Over the years, Torchwood has found technology of alien origin and found ways to use it to their own advantage. At one point, Torchwood had planned on using alien weaponry in World War I, but decided against it. Torchwood's main purposes have changed in more recent years, however. After Jack Harkness took control of Torchwood Cardiff, he reconstructed it not to pursue the Doctor, but rather to help him. 'Confidentiality' The name "Torchwood" was known amongst Britain as some sort of "undercover" or "special ops" organisation, but the actual purpose was completely unkown to the public. They had minor involvement with other groups such as the police, using access codes to get past security, but their function remained secret. Anyone who was able to find out more information than the name of the group was (in nearly every case) retconned using a special pill developed by Torchwood so that they would forget a certain period of time associated with any memories connected to Torchwood. Now that Torchwood offices have all been destroyed, it is less of a point to keep it hidden, though there is some air of mystery about the name. 'Locations' Torchwood initially started in London, also called Torchwood One. From there, it expanded branches into Glasgow (Torchwood Two), Cardiff (Torchwood Three), and India. There was also a Torchwood Four, but its location is unknown and is now lost. Branches 'Torchwood One' Torchwood One was headed in Canary Wharf. The last leader was Yvonne Hartman. While the main headquarters were in Canary Wharf, Torchwood One was the main hub of the Institution and had bases across London, some hidden within other organisations. Donna Noble was unkonwingly working for a company that was part of Torchwood. Torchwood One was very focused on the original values, deeming the Doctor as a threat and wanting to use alien technology for their advantage. It was destroyed in the battle with the Cybermen and Daleks. 'Torchwood Two' Little is known about the Torchwood Two branch. It was run from above a bank in Glasgow by a "very strange man" named Archie, according to Jack Harkness. It was closed down for unknown reasons in 2009. 'Torchwood Three' Torchwood Three was operated in Cardiff, set above the rift. Jack Harkness joined Torchwood Three in the 19th century, but didn't become the leader of it until 2000 when all of his team members were killed. With Jack as the leader, Torchwood Three's focused shifted from hunting and destroying threats to studying them and making use of their technology in other ways, keeping it secret from public view. He also had a goal of helping the Doctor in mind during missions. Torchwood Three was destroyed on orders of the UK government in 2009. While members still live, the official operations closed down. 'Torchwood Four' Torchwood Four was lost several years ago under unkown circumstances 'Torchwood India' Torchwood India operated in Dehli, opened by Queen Victoria to collect alien artifacts in the Raj. It was closed by Jack Harkness in 1924 under orders from Torchwood. Some of the members continued to survive long after, however, unaging due to an alien artifact until at least 2009. 'Parallel Universe Torchwood' Torchwood also operates in London in a parallel universe, the same that Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, and Ten-too all lived in at some point. Little is known about this branch except that Rose Tyler was given a job there for her experience in aliens. It is possible that this branch of Torchwood is still running in a parallel universe, though that universe might be crossing over into reality because of the fold. Known Members (section copied from Torchwood Wikia ) Torchwood One *Eliza Cooper (disappeared 1906) *Robert Lewis (disappeared 1906) *Yvonne Hartman (Director of Torchwood Institute; deceased 2007) *Doctor Rajesh Singh (deceased 2007) *Adeola Oshodi (deceased 2007) *Matt Crane (deceased 2007) *Gareth Evans (deceased 2007) *Lisa Hallett (underwent partial cyber-conversion in 2007; later deceased) *Ianto Jones (joined Torchwood Three following the Battle of Canary Wharf; deceased 2009) *Rupert Howarth *Sebastian Torchwood Two *Archie (whereabouts unknown) Torchwood Three *Captain Jack Harkness (Leader of Torchwood Three; resigned in 2010) *Gwen Cooper (liason with the police) *Alex Hopkins (Leader in the 90s; died 31 December 1999) *Several members of Torchwood Three were killed by Alex Hopkins on the same night before his suicide *Suzie Costello (weapons specialist, second-in-command; deceased 2007) *Martha Jones (temporary medical officer, 2009) *Owen Harper (medical doctor, second-in-command; deceased 2009) *Toshiko Sato (computer specialist, reverse engineering of alien artifacts; deceased 2009) *Ianto Jones (administrator; deceased 2009) Torchwood India *Eleanor, Duchess of Melrose (leader; frozen in 2009) *George Gissing (strategist; frozen in 2009) *Mr Das (butler; frozen in 2009) *Mahajan (support staff, escaped in 2009) Parallel Universe Torchwood *Stevie (worked at Torchwood during creation of Cybermen in 2007) *Rose Tyler (hired in 2010) *Pete Tyler and Mickey Smith were not members, but utilised the facilities at times